OUTLINE

COVER PAGE BACKGROUND PROBLEM STATEMENT OBJECTIVES METHODOLOGY JUSTIFICATION/RELEVANCE ORGANIZATION OF STUDY

COVER PAGE
The Institution The Title Author Object Date

The Title
Also known as the topic This should include:
Concepts Linkages of the concepts Objects

Steps to Choose a Topic

Identify a problem Read further on the problem Clearly define the problem Write out the problem statement Outline your objectives From here you can now decide on the topic

Assessing the Topic

Criteria
Availability of literature
Look out for about 20 literature Largely journal articles and research works of students Other research reports Books Newsletter

Assessing the Topic

Criteria
Availability of data
Access to the data Cost of the data Timeliness of access

Personal interest of the student

Your personal interest will be a motivation Project work can be frustrating hence the need for personal interest Project will be funded by you

Assessing the Topic

Criteria
In discipline you are pursuing Also, may be related to your discipline Or you want to apply theory from some area to your discipline

Proposal to study THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FINANCIAL SECTOR DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH By

FILO GUDU

JUNE 2007

BACKGROUND
This explains the concepts:
University education Employee productivity Linkage

Object of the research/setting

Banking industry

PROBLEM STATEMENT
This is the origin of the research This needs to be clearly defined The structure involves two things
Preamble Questions

You need to paint a picture Then the questions will be natural consequence

PROBLEM STATEMENT
The preamble provides grounds to raise the questions Example
Competition in banking industry The role of employees in organisation Concerns about employee productivity Ways to increase productivity e.g. education, traning

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Questions These are the issues that agitate your mind for which you want to find solutions to State the issue in question form
Major question
The main issue in question form

Specific questions
Other issues within the main issue that are components of the main issue State these in question form

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Example
Main/major question
What is the relationship between between university education and employee productivity in the banking industry in Ghana?

Specific questions
What is the trend of productivity in the banking industry What is the trend of university graduates employment in the banking industry

OBJECTIVES
This what you have set to achieve The problem well stated helps to build your objectives These should be positive statement of the questions Major objective Specific objectives

OBJECTIVES
Example
Major objective
To analyse the relationship between university education and employee productivity

Specific objective
Determine the trend of employee productivity in the banking industry Determine the trend of graduate employment in the baking industry

OBJECTIVES
An alternative
Determine the trend of employee productivity in the banking industry Determine the trend of graduate employment in the baking industry Assess the linkage between university education and employee productivity in the banking industry

METHODOLOGY
This describes the steps to be traced in achieving the objectives This has been covered already hopefully.

RELEVANCE
This section outlines the importance of the study Guide
Importance of the concepts Importance of the linkage Importance of study to:
private sector Public sector Researchers Policy makers

RELEVANCE
If you need funding for the study by a donor this is where you need to provide reasons why you should be funded. For student research it is also important to provide cogent reasons

ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY

How the chapters will be organised You need not tabulate them Dont provide the details of the subsections. in the proposal you can capture chapter one But in paper dont include chapter one

Example
The study will be presented in five chapters. Chapter two will present review of relevant literature. The methodology to achieve the objectives is outlined in chapter three. Chapter four presents the results and the accompanying discussions. The conclusions and recommendations are distilled in chapter five.

ACTION PLAN
This details:
Activities Dates to be completed

Forms bass of budget if needed.

After the Proposal

Cut-off the methodology section What is left constitutes chapter oneINTRODUCTION The methodology section becomes chapter three-METHODOLOGY